One topic of discussion this week among the coaches will be whether or not to turn the offense over to quarterback Johnny Manziel, who played perhaps his most fundamental game of the season.
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Manziel went 33-for-45 for 372 yards, one touchdown and one interception in his start last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers. “Just from a philosophical standpoint, if you pick somebody in the first round and they start to play and start to do a few good things, I understand it if that’s the decision”.Manziel started against the Bengals and Steelers while McCown watched in street clothes, often giving Manziel advice when the Browns’ defense was on the field. In the six games that Roethlisberger has played, Brown has 62 receptions (10.3 per game), 906 yards (151 per game) and all five of his touchdowns on the season.
“I think all that factors in”.
Pettine told ESPN.com, “The performance against Pittsburgh validated for us the progress that he’s made, the improvement that he’s shown and that he deserves this opportunity”.
“I’m not prepared to say [Manziel is the starter], but that’s a conversation that certainly will be had”, Pettine said Monday during a news conference. While I am still sitting in this chair, I am going to do everything I can to make that possible. “No matter what happens, whatever you think, if this may be for next year or whatever the case is, we are going to win some of these games down the road”. “This will give us an opportunity to see how far he has come and what he’s capable of”. “He has all the intangibles that might make him a great quarterback one day”.
“That didn’t even come up as part of the conversation”, Pettine said. “Obviously, I’ve learned a lot about myself”. “That’s something that we talk about, that I know (offensive coordinator John DeFilippo) talks to him about and Kevin (quarterbacks coach Kevin O’Connell) talks to him about”. Manziel feels he’s the man for the job. “I’m looking forward to focusing my energies on our start against the Ravens and bringing in a win for our fans in Cleveland”, via Ian Rapoport’s Twitter account. “I don’t know how effective I could have really moved around”. He said the same thing several times last season and then December 26, the Friday before the 2014 season ended, he partied so hard he missed a scheduled treatment on his injured hamstring the next morning because he overslept. “I’m in a good place”.
Pittsburgh will travel to Seattle after the break to play in a pivotal matchup that will feature some of the NFL’s best players.
The group accounted for five sacks of Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel on the day, with one each from Cameron Heyward, Stephon Tuitt, Ryan Shazier and Lawrence Timmons and a half sack for Arthur Moats and Jarvis Jones.
“He took a big step forward in a lot of the small details of quarterback play”, Pettine said. It’s unclear what’s more impressive: the fact that Manziel could throw for that many yards without a clear No. 1 receiver, or the fact he could do that and help manage only nine points.
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While Manziel is viewed as a dual threat, he has 17 carries on the season. Manziel made a concerted attempt to stay in the pocket, showing that he could deliver passes on time and on target without the need to scramble.
